


the ghost of nation's past

by amarillecer



Category: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018)
Genre: Ghosts, Historical Inaccuracy, Horror, Late at Night, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 01:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17929997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amarillecer/pseuds/amarillecer
Summary: joven ends up in intramuros after reading a post on '#ManilaEncounters'. he is then greeted by unfamiliar and haunting faces when he arrives.





	the ghost of nation's past

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to ate yunis // @koronelmagnet 's tweet !! i got inspired by it so,, yeah hehe loosely based off of this tweet: https://twitter.com/koronelmagnet/status/1100263262971518977 i hope you all enjoy!!

“Thank you.”

A confident yet slightly scared Joven exits the Grab he took to marvel at the location he was determined to tackle next. Intramuros. The ever-famous walled city of Manila. The beautiful architecture that showed signs of its age with the stone walls and the moss that started to form from the years of rain it underwent. He took a deep breath before closing the passenger door of his ride and took a step by the large wooden entrance before reading the passage encrypted on his phone once more.

“#ManilaEncounters Visit Intramuros at night. Find the spirit of the dead, for they are the only ones who will notice you. Ask them about the secrets of the nation’s past in order to escape. But great sufferings come to the open-mouthed listener. For the knowledge shouldn’t fall on ears other than your own.”

The fairly new post read. Having daily entries of eerie happenings around the region, the one present In Joven’s hand stood out as something that sparked his interest. It was over a week ago when he saw it, under the sheets of his white bed in his humble abode in Ermita. One would step into his bedroom finding darkness except for a hint of blue light coming from his phone that was still being watched.

His thumb relentlessly scrolled the blog, eyes skimming rapidly in between letters that looked like thin black lines and jargon to Joven’s sleepy mind. He commonly read the blog to fall asleep, he was never really scared of the fantasies written inside the world of the blog made by someone who had way too much spare time on his hands.

His eyes stayed stagnant on one spot, not bothering to read until his thumb felt the urge to stop at a single post, at the time was already written three days prior and his eyes felt drawn to the set of words displayed on the screen. He felt a chill rise up at the back of his spine and he felt the urge to get up and wash his face. His arms had goosebumps and he could only wonder from where.

 _Tangina, should I?_ Joven wondered as he splashed his face with water. He never set out on adventures like this, especially with his friends being scaredy-cats who couldn’t even read the blog.

He stood to get a glass of water with his phone in his right hand, and he just stared at the single post until he finished chugging his water. He quickly looked at the wall clock to notice that he spent the last thirty minutes scrolling through the blog. He then washed the cup quickly, turned off the lights and headed back into his room once more. He made sure there were no traces of his essence being awake this late at night in case his Tatay Antonio would find out.

“Better write this for next weekend.” Joven chanted to himself, as he wrote a quick post-it not to pin onto his corkboard hanging by the desk in his room. He took a quick screenshot of the post before taking off his glasses and finally forcing himself to sleep.

So there Joven stood, present-time, reevaluating if he should really go in. Should he have listened to the chants of his friends? Who told him going there meant nothing but misfortune? He was standing there already. He spent over a 100 pesos for his Grab ride just to get there at 10PM. He looked at his surroundings quickly, at the eerie lamppost igniting over the sidewalk, feeling the cool night breeze that whisked a few brown leaves and clouds of dust. If Joven weren’t here for the sake of proving a post that he saw on the internet over a week ago, he would have definitely enjoyed strolling.

But he was here to spot the ghost of history’s past. In the form of whom he would never be able to recognize, but he was “supposed to know” once he saw. He shouldn’t be here at this time of night. It was late, but it was beautiful. But the sermon he was about to get from his father would probably not be worth it if all of this was just a hoax. So how would one prove whether a post was just for entertainment purposes or actually real for the courageous to test them out? Test of course. And with that thought, Joven took a few steps to go inside the fortress that was supposed to reveal the secrets of his beloved nation’s history.

“Bat ang lamig?” Joven asked himself, thankful that he wore a sweater and a pair of jeans out. Of course he was still cold and rubbing his arms to create heat from friction. He wandered around aimlessly holding his phone in his right hand while his other hand clutched his satchel. He brought pepper spray just in case some creep comes close to him and breathes on his neck. But of course, who would have thought that someone could spray a ghost? If they existed anyway.

He walked aimlessly, slowly and steadily, around the area. He clutched his phone a bit tighter until he felt the cool chill seize around him. The breeze and the rustle of the leaves stopping as if a quick downbeat indicated for all of them to stop at once. A chill crept up his spine once more, as if it was he was in his bed at the night of when he read the post. Goosebumps creeping up on his arms like some type of déjà vu.

“Uy!” A voice called out. Cool and crisp like that of someone of his own age. It came somewhere from behind Joven and he turned to look from where the voice came from. Meeting Joven was a short man, dressed in blue and a face that resembled a rising actor right now. He was unsure of where the man came from, but it was as if his feet started to walk on their own towards the ominous being.

“Gabing-gabi na ah. Anong ginagawa mo dito?” Joven found the courage to speak to a stranger, contrary to what his strict father would always teach him since he was a child. Yet the chilly breeze of the night came back all of a sudden once he stood near the man.

“Maaari ko rin ba yun itanong sa’yo?” The man chuckled as he put his hands into his pockets. His outfit became a bit clearer to Joven whose eyesight was the poorest of the poor. His collar garnished with two gold pins, and black pads on his shoulders that looked as if he was the area’s guard for the night.

“May hinahanap lang. Ikaw?” Joven smiled as his two hands moved to clutch his satchel’s strap that ran across his body. The man had an aura of comfort, but still should he stand cautious as anything could shift his senses.

“Ah, andito lang naman ako palagi.” The man looked around to clear a bit of awkwardness as the two simply nodded and stared at each other for a second longer than normal.

“Wala ka bang kasama?” The lad asked, after noticing no one else in the area except he and the man standing before him. He quickly raised his eyebrows to which Joven prompty answered.

“Wala. Ayaw nila akong samahan kasi ang lalim na rin ng gabi.” Joven replied as the man’s head jerked up and down to show his recognition of his answer. His lips pulled downwards and paused in a pout after registering the lonely man before he opened his mouth to speak once more.

“Vicente Enriquez. Gusto mo ba akong samahan? Ipakilala ko sa’yo si Goyo at Julian. Mga kasama ko sa gabi.” Vicente let out his hand for the younger to shake and smiled when he took it. He then turned to walk further inside the area they stood. 

Joven walked close behind him, treading ever so lightly on ground beneath him. He checked his phone to quickly spot the time to notice that his phone ran out of cell service. Unusual for a place such as this, but he decided to brush the uneasy feeling that rose in his chest.

“Mamaya nalang ako magmemessage kay Tatay.” Joven talked to himself to be met with Vicente turning back towards him to ask what was wrong by quickly humming.

“Ah, wala. Wala kasing service.” Joven replied to which Vicente furrowed his brows.

“Signal. Cellphone service ba.” Joven followed up when Vicente couldn’t quite understand what he meant by ‘service’. But his additional side comments made Vicente’s face scrunch even more in confusion. _Seryoso ba ‘to?_ Joven thought to himself. Who doesn’t know about cell service?

“Ah, wala.” Joven chuckled while Vicente chose to do the same as they walked closer towards two men who just stood with their backs turned to the approaching pair.

They were tall, dressed in the same uniform as Vicente, so they must have been workmates. He guessed the shorter to be Julian, It seemed like a name that fit a younger person as to Goyo which sounded a bit like an old name that he associated with someone yet he couldn’t pinpoint who.

“Julian, may natagpuan ako sa may harap nung kuta.” Vicente smiled to the man who looked back at him and raised his eyebrow at the new guest. He had long hair and a lean figure that looked both as if he could break in a second or break someone in a second. He was stern and immovable until the shorter of the two placed his hand on his shoulder, easing the taller man.

“Huwag namang ganun, kuya. Salubungin natin nang mabuti ang bisita.” Goyo chuckled before reaching his hand out promptly to shake Joven’s hand.

 _Okay so mali pala hinula ko._ Joven pursed his lips and nodded his head and pretended to look around the place in search of anyone but the group. He had this weird feeling stuck in his throat that he couldn’t quite tell.

“Pagpasensyahan mo nalang si Julian. Ayaw niya ng mga bagong dumarating.” Vicente whispered to Joven who was a few inches behind him and received a quaint nod. But why would Julian hate newcomers? He works here. It’s what he’s paid to do.

Goyo then walked over slowly towards Joven to inspect the man while Julian, seemingly like a shadow over him. He then looked towards Joven’s behind to check if anyone was there. He nodded to Vicente who then walked over to sit down on the small inclination right next to the two already paired up men.

“Upo ka, Joven.” Goyo offered as he slowly sat down on the small cemented wall while Joven followed to sit on the dirt area in front of them.

“Ano ho ginagawa niyo dito?” Joven, finally having the courage to ask the three men what their presence of the area meant. He was so confused as to why they seemed to be alone. No assistance desks in sight, nothing else but the uniform hinting to them being guards.

"Magpamulat ng taong katulad mo sa totoong pangyayari.” Goyo spoke and a sudden whisper in the breeze could be heard by Joven, a faint chant in the distance, something Joven couldn’t quite recognize.

“A-ano ho?” Joven’s spine once more felt an all familiar tingle as if to warn him of something he shouldn’t feel too comfortable about. The breeze stopped, the air no longer felt cold yet goosebumps kept on trailing his body for the third time at an instance like this. His hair blew for no reason and his hands grew cold. He started to push himself to stand up before Julian stopped to talk.

“Aalis ka? Masyadong maaga pa, Joven.” Julian smirked at Joven who stopped at what he was doing to reevaluate if he should leave the place that made him feel more uneasy than comfortable, unlike when he first stepped in.

 _Tangina. Ito na yun. Magtanong ka, Joven. Para makalabas dito!_ Joven realized who these people were. And it made him even more scared to be standing in front of three what he assumed were the ghost of nation’s past. He could only remember the post on the blog. He dare not anger the wrath of the dead.

“Hindi ho. May kumagat lang na langgam.” Joven chuckled, pretending to pat down his behind before sitting back down to turn to Julian whose eyebrow was just raised at the man.

“May tanong ka ba?” Vicente asked to the young man whose mouth just hung open. He was thinking of a simple question that could let him exit this haunted place at the soonest moment possible. He needed to go home, and he wanted nothing more than to stay under the comfort of his sheets, reading the blog and never trying them ever again. Yet here he was, fingers numb and cold, sweat forming behind his ears, scared of never getting out.

“Bakit po kayo nakipaglaban?” Joven questioned, reading a few articles on Goyo's loyalty to the president during his regime a few days prior to him arriving to where he was now. He hoped they would answer it quickly.

“Para sa Presidente. At nang sa gayon ay makuha ang kanyang tiwala. Bakit?” Goyo replied quickly with a certain scorn in his face, as if he was disgusted by the question that escaped Joven’s lips. And at that moment, Joven definitely thought he was done for.

“Pasensya na ho, pero hindi ba't para sa kalayaan ang inyong pakikipaglaban?" Joven replied quickly hoping to not infuriate Goyo even more, he could only imagine what he could do with whatever powers he had, if that was a thing. The hell did he know about supernatural powers.

"At bakit mo yun kailangan maintindihan, Joven? Ikaw ba ay naging sundalo ni Presidente Aguinaldo? Lahat ng aking ginawa ay produkto ng kanyang pangangailangan, at ang lahat ng mamamayan ay dapat sumunod rito dahil siya ang pinuno." Goyo almost spat as Joven cowered in fear at the arrogance and anger in Goyo's eyes and body language. The air shifted to become colder and it was like a surge of air hit Joven and sent his heart racing as if it was about to burst. His colleagues must have noticed the drastic shift in Goyo's tone from comforting to absolutely angered so Vicente decided it was time to let Joven go.

“Sasamahan na kita palabas, Joven.” Vicente slowly walked closer to Joven to lead him outside but Julian held an arm in front of Vicente to stop him. Joven's hands were sweating and cold at the same time, his face was getting hot yet his body was definitely the opposite and far from being hot. Goyo's words seemed to enchant him into a freezing spell that he was slowly spiraling downwards.

“Ako na.” Julian stood up while Joven tried his best to get up as quick. He then followed Julian who was walking with a straightback. Definitely that of a soldier, and of a stern man he did not want to cross even if they were alive today.

"Alam mo, Joven. Naaalala ko sa'yo si Kumandante Bernal. Sa tanong mo kanina at sa prinsipyo mo." Julian chuckled lowly and at the sound of his laugh, Joven's ears rang. He was scared to his core, and this man's laughter was definitely not the kind that was a fruit out of happiness.

"Sino po yun?" Joven asked, maybe he was a good guy. Maybe one of Goyo's men in the old days. Pathetic, but he could only hope for the best when it came to a moment like this. No one would ever believe what happened tonight.

"Traydor, Joven. At mabuti naman na parehas lang ang katapusan ng iyong mga kwento." Julian chuckled lowly once more. His voice creeping up like spiders at the bottom of Joven's spine.

Julian then pushed Joven to a wall and got the gun that placed in his belt holster and pointed it towards the lad. Joven’s body stood stiff. He regretted everything that lead up to this moment. How he scrolled upon the post on the blog, how he got a Grab on the way here, and how he walked inside without hesitation. Hell he was even more mad he never got to say goodbye to his father. To be fair, he didn’t really know if this bullet would kill him, but Julian’s push definitely was something real.

“Huwag niyo ho akong patayin! Maawa ho kayo.” Joven raised his arms in protest, his eyes fighting to stay open, staring at the emotionless face of Julian whose hand didn’t even tremble at the weight of the gun he was holding. No inch of remorse could be found in this man’s face.

“Paalam na, Joven.” Joven swore Julian’s eyes flashed a quick hint of red before he closed his eyes to the sound of a gunshot and white noise leading him to open them again. Joven wasn’t on the floor bleeding like he’d expected.

 _Tangina?_ Joven opened his eyes. He was back at where he stood minutes or even hours ago. The clock was 10PM, and he swore it shouldn’t have been. He had had a conversation with three men inside the establishment that stood before him.

“Sir Joven?” A voice behind him called out, and Joven flinched at the voice immediately looking back to see the Grab Driver who took him to his destination.

“Pasensya na ho. Pwedeng bumalik nalang tayo? Babayarin ko ng higit pa.” Joven scrambled to get in again. His hands growing cold despite the normal temperature of the car. His glasses fogging up from the heat emanating from his body.

“Maayos lang ho ba kayo?” The driver asked to Joven whose head was in his hands, trembling slightly as the car started to move out of the parking spot they took.

“Oo.” Joven looked back at the building, sure of everything that had happened. From meeting Vicente, to asking Goyo and to Julian shooting him. His breath hitched, his heart beat the fastest it ever has, and Joven finally understood why. His hands trembled, his back felt cold and his arms filled with bumps.

“Sigurado ho ba?” The man asked once more, unsure as he looked at Joven playing with his phone, tapping on the screen ever so quickly, like a child who couldn’t sit properly, eager to say or do something for fun, except what sat on Joven’s chest definitely wasn’t out of fun.

“Oo, may naisip lang.” Joven stared out of the window, the reflection of his phone quickly lighting up to reveal a message, catching his attention. He exhaled deeply, thankful to reply to whom he thought was his father.

_Huminahon ka lang, at baka ka marinig ni Julian. –V._

**Author's Note:**

> not so experienced with this genre of writing, so sorry if it wasn't the best. thanks for reading!!  
> love, reese :---)


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